Chapter 476: The Magic Built Within

“I want you to understand it, and learn to use it.”

Snape said.

He swung his wand in a slashing, serpentine motion.

A burst of flame erupted from the tip of his wand—small, yet seemingly sentient, constantly seeking out nearby objects to consume; as the dungeon’s discarded materials ignited, the fire grew larger.

As it expanded, beasts began to surge forth from within.

“Will o’ the Wisp can summon cursed, sentient flames.”

“These flames actively seek and devour everything in their path, especially… life.”

“Once consumption reaches a certain point, the flame’s form transforms into a colossal monster.”

“It is intensely hot, devastatingly destructive, one of the few substances capable of destroying anything.”

Snape explained the Will o’ the Wisp spell in a detached tone.

Amid the blaze, Wizard Sean could clearly sense that Professor Snape’s control over the Will o’ the Wisp was a level above Professor Quirrell’s.

Professor Quirrell had already struggled when the fire beast took shape.

But Professor Snape remained calm, effortless.

“It is an extremely advanced curse, one only a very few powerful—and, ah—morally corrupt wizards dare attempt…”

Snape sneered, his gaze fixed sharply on Wizard Sean, “Do fools fear blades because they fear the blade itself?”

Snape sneered, his gaze fixed sharply on Wizard Sean,

“They fear only themselves—their own inability to control power or authority.”

Then Professor Snape ceased his incantation; when he swung his wand again, the flames vanished instantly.

Wizard Sean guessed the professor had used a silent spell.

“Remember: once released, the Will o’ the Wisp is nearly impossible to extinguish or control.”

“Standard extinguishing charms are useless. The only counter is overwhelming magical power—far stronger than the caster’s—to suppress and alter it.”

Snape glanced casually at the charred remains of a chair, then waved his wand again; a wooden plank from a corner hopped over and transformed into a chair.

“As for an out-of-control Will o’ the Wisp, Green, I expect to see your fastest sprinting speed in your entire life.”

Professor Snape concluded.

Training the Will o’ the Wisp was perilous beyond measure.

When Wizard Sean first summoned the Will o’ the Wisp, the flames roared and filled half the room; nearly a third of Professor Snape’s private storage was destroyed.

It was the first time Professor Snape showed fear—he immediately cast Stopspell to contain the fire, then stared at the exhausted young wizard with an unreadable expression.

“You’re being controlled by it! Fool… Green!”

He snarled, face dark.

“Professor… how do I control it?”

Wizard Sean asked, carefully and with effort.

“I suspect your troll-brain is filled only with images of the Will o’ the Wisp fully formed—if you imagine it as this powerful, you’ll never control it.”

“You must be stronger than it, Green.”

Snape explained coldly.

So Wizard Sean began his second practice; when he imagined the Will o’ the Wisp as utterly feeble, a thin wisp of flame slowly rose.

Unfortunately, due to Wizard Sean’s poor control, the Will o’ the Wisp manifested as a fire beast within seconds.

A fire-breathing serpent, a chimera, and a dragon hunted and devoured everything in their path; another third of Professor Snape’s collection vanished.

Stunned, Wizard Sean and Professor Snape stared blankly at the storage cabinet—empty, save for swirling ashes.

“Professor… perhaps we should practice outside…”

Wizard Sean slumped in his chair, speaking cautiously.

“Here!”

Snape suddenly roared.

His face was grim, yet stubborn—almost obstinate.

Only here, in the dungeon, within the magic barriers he had redesigned, could they avoid interference from some meddling wizard.

He accepted Dumbledore’s views.

But he trusted that fool to control himself.

Time was growing tighter; when the Dark Lord’s power weakened to a certain point…

No one could predict what he might do.

Training continued for a long time; after his third attempt, Wizard Sean’s Will o’ the Wisp spell was unlocked.

It was now steadily advancing toward [Beginner].

At the same time, he discovered a curious pattern about the Will o’ the Wisp spell.

The panel rated his powerful, uncontrolled Will o’ the Wisp as [Apprentice], but his tightly controlled version was rated [Skilled].

This contradicted past patterns—for example, with Lumos, the brighter the light, the higher the proficiency rating.

“If your intelligence hasn’t been destroyed along with the cabinet, you’d better take out paper and write this down now;”

“In dark magic, control outweighs destruction.”

“I’ve seen too many foolish wizards killed by their own dark magic—so remember this, Wizard Sean Green.”

“True power lies in inward construction, not outward acquisition—”

Snape finished coldly; the dungeon door slammed shut with a bang.

If it could still be called a door—it had been half-burned away by the Will o’ the Wisp.

Facing the charred remains of the display case, Snape’s expression was unreadable.

He thought of the vast, natural flame that had erupted, the fire beast awakened in mere moments.

Complexity flickered in his eyes, then hardened into resolve.

Outside the dungeon.

Wizard Sean was still pondering Professor Snape’s final words.

In dark magic, Professor Snape was undoubtedly a rare genius; according to Sirius:

When Snape first entered school, he knew more spells than half the seventh-year students.

If Professor Snape believes controlling dark magic matters more than amplifying it,

does that mean, in dark magic, a wizard’s mastery and shaping of their own belief matters more than merely strengthening their belief?

Ravenclaw said: when magic was still in its primal stage, ancient wizards walked a path directly toward magic’s origin.

They explored magic’s essence and built unshakable belief through knowledge and wisdom.

Wizards explored magic, strengthened their belief, then unleashed greater magic, then explored those greater magics…

This was what ancient wizards experienced.

But before all this, before wizards explored magic, they were pure.

They did not use wands, nor chant incantations.

In Ravenclaw’s memory, wizard duels were sometimes merely contests of who could summon anger first.

Whoever summoned their magic through anger first won.

Thus, those wizards could not even challenge dragons—survival itself was a problem.

Yet later, wizards rose to the pinnacle of the magical world.

What happened in between?